First tip for this entry - do not fly RyanAir. Ok, so everybody already knows that, but it bears reinforcing.

After a non-negotiable, yes-we-are-bastards-and-really-don't-care supplement payment to RyanAir, we arrived in Seville, Spain.

Ah, sunshine! Seville, you made us happy. You are a beautiful city, what a history you have, you have lovely warm weather and provided us with yummy sangria and vegetarian tapas. We were especially impressed by your Piazza de Spagna, which actually made us want to rewatch Star Wars Attack of the Clones which was filmed here. We probably won't, though, because the film is rubbish. Still, kudos. You should probably also know that you are being let down by a doofus tour guide called Brian. The good news though, Seville, is that even idiotic Brian couldn't ruin you

. You are our favourite Spanish city, and that's with some pretty stiff competition. Well done.

On to Cordoba. After a brilliant Indian lunch (our travel existence really does revolve around food - as vegetarians it can get a bit tricky) we explored the Mezquita. So, so beautiful. This was originally a Moorish mosque, and while it has nominally been transformed into the diocese's cathedral, it really does remain a testament to the Moor's appreciation of exquisite simplicity. It's an incredibly serene place and we enjoyed wandering through the colonnades and watching a school group be ejected for their naughty behaviour. I simultaneously felt terribly sorry for their teachers and smugly and proudly knew that Mazenod boys would be absolutely perfect in the same situation. Sam's next request was the Inquisition Museum, which should really have been named the How-Many-Ways-Can-We-Torture-And-Kill-You? Museum. Enough said, but the kids would have enjoyed it a great deal more, I think. Sam would probably want me to pop in this Spanish Inquisition link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqgZnvfJ9Jg

Madrid: rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. We did manage a walking tour, which was great, but by this time my cold had progressed into a chest infection and I wasn't up for much. We took an unscheduled day off, and thus missed the Prado, but it was all for the best. We stayed in our warm, dry, comfy apartment and it was better that way. Next time, Gadget, next time.

Finally, we took the train up to San Sebastian. A foodies' paradise, and a really beautiful one. Even through the driving wind and rain we thought it was rather gorgeous. Wandering around the sea front was great and we loved the aquarium. As for the food, well, it was a little trickier for us. Luckily there was a very cheap Italian and take away pizza place around the corner that did a killer veggie lasagne.